Russia's 'Sergei Kotov' Sinks After Ukrainian Magura V5 Drones Attack Patrol Ship Near Crimea

Russia's Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol ship 'Sergei Kotov' sank near Crimea after Ukrainian naval drones attacked it on the night of March 4-5.

A special unit of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine "Group -13" on the night of March 4-5, attacked the Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol ship named 'Sergei Kotov' near Crimea, inflicting serious damage to the Russian ship. The news was shared by the Main Directorate of Intelligence of The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. DIU stated that the mission took place in cooperation with the Naval of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.

"As a result of the attack by Magura V5 naval drones, the Russian ship of Project 22160 'Sergei Kotov' suffered damage to the stern, right and left sides," the ministry stated in a release.

"The 'cat' was damaged by fire in the territorial waters of Ukraine, near the Kerch Strait," it added.

According to the ministry, the cost of the sunken ship is estimated to be around 65 million dollars.

Referring to the attack on the Russian patrol ship, President Zelenskiy's Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak stated: "The Russian Black Sea Fleet is a symbol of occupation. It cannot be in the Ukrainian Crimea," reported news agency Reuters. The train traffic on the bridge connecting the Russian mainland and Crimean peninsula was temporarily stopped, Reuters reported, citing the Telegram channel of a Russian official in Crimea.

Additionally, a Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda reported that the Russian operator of the passenger trains reported that trains had been stopped near the bridge due to blocked traffic, which resulted in the bridge being closed for 8 hours.

According to Ukrainska Pravda, the Defence Intelligence Agency of Ukraine (DIU) on Monday gained access to Russian Defence Ministry servers and obtained data on the Russian military orders, leadership, directives, and reports. "Analysis of the data obtained has also helped identify the generals, other senior officials of the Russian Defence Ministry structural units, as well as deputies, assistants and specialists − everyone who used the electronic document circulation software called Bureaucrat," Ukrainska Pravda quoted the DIU saying. 

Last month, the Ukrainian military claimed to have destroyed a Russian landing warship in an operation with naval drones near Crimea. The attack reportedly breached the vessel's port side, causing it to sink, Reuters reported.